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  • Sports > NCAA Tournament

    NCAA Tournament  

    Posted on Tue, Apr. 08, 2008 09:29 AM

    OSU reportedly to pay millions to get Self

    SAN ANTONIO | The only question now appears to be, “How much?” Because it certainly seems inevitable that Kansas coach Bill Self will be courted by his alma mater this week.

    The Tulsa World cited anonymous sources in a column on Sunday morning saying Oklahoma State is prepared to offer Self a contract rumored to be in the neighborhood of at least $3.5 million a year. The column also mentioned there could be a $6 million signing bonus for Self to return to Oklahoma State, where he played during 1981-85.

    As tipoff approached on Monday, Oklahoma State’s expected pursuit of Self became national buzz as ESPN.com began quoting the rumored numbers. But after the game, Self remained adamant that he wasn’t going anywhere.

    “If somebody from Oklahoma State calls me, I’m not going to take the call,” Self told reporters after the game. “It’s my alma mater. But they haven’t contacted me.

    “I said this last week. I would recommend they go in another direction.”

    Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins and Self have both said this week that, from the beginning, they have been planning to talk after the season ended.

    Self, who makes $1.375 million a year at Kansas, would appear to be in line for a pay bump after winning the school’s first national championship since 1988 with a 75-68 victory over Memphis.

    Perkins was in no mood to talk about anything regarding Self’s contract before tipoff, declining to comment to The Star.

    All week, it has felt like 2003 all over again for Kansas fans, who watched former coach Roy Williams leave for his alma mater, North Carolina, after KU played in the national title game.

    Self has said repeatedly that he hasn’t let the Oklahoma State opening become a distraction. But he also has not quashed the possibility.

    The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff contributed to this report.

     

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